Just as I thought, I didn't get anything resembling a coherent answer from her.
She just cried. Lauren knows how to cry.
"Wait", she said in a panicked voice with tears smearing her face, "this, this isn't the way home."
"Yes, it is." I said without giving her another look. "I'm taking you to your father's house. You'll need someone to help you with your eye."
"No!" She almost started begging. "I'm not leaving your place, Lucas. That's my home too. I shouldn't get punished for getting punched in the face. I didn't do anything wrong!"
I almost swore at her. When the hell did she become this insufferable?
"You walk around the house I share with my girlfriend barely covered!" I shouted at her. "I have on more than more than one occasion seen you naked without me ever wanting to! You have a panic attack each time I try to spend some alone time with Charlotte and you've turned my brother against someone whose only ever wanted to help him!" I was barely managing to keep a lid on how pissed I was. She has pushed me to the limit.
"How the f**k have you not done anything wrong?" I asked through clenched teeth. "Charlotte has been nothing but kind to you and all you've done is try to make her feel like an outsider."
She couldn't stop the quiver in her lips. I suspected she wanted to cry, but she knew now wasn't the time for it.
"I'm sorry." She almost whispered to herself. "I, I didn't even realise I was doing all those things. I thought - I just- I just want to protect you from her, Lucas." She tried reaching for my hand, but a glare from me made it very clear that I don't want her anywhere near me. "She's going to hurt you again." She pleaded when I refused for her to touch me. "Do you remember how you were after she broke up with you? Do you remember how I put my own life on hold so I could be there for you? You know I care for you. I've more than proven that to you. I only want what's best for you."
This again.
Her helping me after Charlotte broke up with me is starting to feel like an anchor.
I let Lauren get away with a lot of things because she's my friend. Whether it be mistakes that cost me money at work or mistakes that resulted in plain disrespect towards the people who work in my home, I've tolerated it. I just fixed what could be fixed and tried to make sure she couldn't make that mistake again, but her behaviour towards Charlotte is not something I can tolerate anymore.
She's using her friendship against me.
She's using our friendship to force feelings out of me that I have never felt for her; feelings I will never feel for her. And it seems the more I tell her I don't have feelings for her, the more she believes I'm hiding s****l and romantic feelings for her.
Any frank conversation with her about what our friendship means to me is honestly just proving to be a waste of time. She refuses to believe that I'm not in love with her and my kindness towards her delusion is now making it look like I may in fact want more than friendship from her.
I need to stop all of this. I need to create some distance before things get even more out of hand.
"You need to move out by the end of this week." I told her as the car came to a screeching halt infront of her father's mansion.
It's twice as big as my place. It's not that her father has more money. Lawrence Mitchell just likes showing off his wealth. There's nothing wrong with that, except sometimes it can be excessive and it can lead to him ... overstepping boundaries because he believes his wealth gives him that right.
"No!" She folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not going anywhere. If anyone needs to leave, it's the barbarian who goes around punching people she doesn't like!"
I chuckled at her words. It was a bitter chuckle. The fact that she thinks she can speak about Charlie this way infront of me or ever, is a testament to the fact that I've overlooked too many things when it comes to Lauren.
And I did it all in the name of friendship.
"Out!" I opened the passenger door, but she still refused to get out.
By now her dad, mom and her sister were out of the house, trying to figure out what's going on. I hated this entire situation. I hated how this looked - as if I was being cruel to a dear friend, as if there was a lover's quarrel between the two of us.
No matter what led us to this point, I know I look like a jerk right now.
She was still refusing to get out the car.
I want to get out of here so I can go talk to Charlotte. As things stand, she's probably wondering why I haven't called or texted her.
I need to talk to her in person. I need to apologise to her.
Fuck, I need to apologise to her.
There are so many things I need to apologise for. She endured another woman walking around half naked in my home and 'accidentally' dropping her towels infront of me. She and I have both walked in on Lauren sprawled out in the living room having one her many naps where she moaned my name and she's even tried helping Lauren through her panic attacks.
She did all of that because I asked her to. She endured living like that because of me.
"Greyson," her father approached me calmly, "care to explain why you're treating my daughter like some ... common w***e?"
He was wearing black chinos and a blue golf shirt that made his blue eyes stand out even in the dark. Unlike Lauren and her sister, his and his wife's blue eyes aren't grey-blue. They're bright blue, cold and unwavering. The man, his wife and their eldest daughter all have a certain confidence and aura that Lauren didn't inherit.
In fact, the look in their eyes, the coldness and ruthlessness with which they can look at a person, reminds me a lot of how Charlie looks at people before tearing them down.
Lauren doesn't have that.
Her parents are both of medium height, both slender and fit and they both have blonde hair, just like their two daughters. Some might even think the couple is related, that's how much they look alike.
However, it's their cunning nature that makes her parents resemble one another so much. They both slither like snakes and that's also how they take down their enemies...like snakes.
"I'm not treating your daughter like... a whore." I steadied my breath. "I've brought her home, but she doesn't want to get out of my car. Perhaps you can talk to her, Lawrence."
The corners of his lips tilted upwards, as did his wife's and their daugther's, Lisa. Yes, all their names start with an "L". The father, Lawrence Mitchell; Mother, Liza Mitchell; eldest daughter, Lisa Mitchell and their youngest daughter, Lauren Mitchell.
Lisa, unlike Lauren, has inherited her parent's cold and cunning nature.
"Perhaps you can explain the shiner on her eye." He said with a mischievous smile. "As for her home, we all know her home is with you. It's always been with you."
"Come here, Lauren." Her mother beckoned. "Let me see that eye of yours, sweetheart."
Lauren hesitated, bit her lip and then unbuckled her seat belt and ran to her mom in tears.
Her mom and sister hugged her, stroked her hair and coeed in her ear while her father glared at me with his hands in his pockets.
"I never took you for the type to raise your hand at a woman." He said with a smirk. "If I wasn't a shareholder and...if you weren't on the cusp of pulling off the biggest merger of all time, I would have been alerting every news outlet in this country."
I stayed quiet and waited for more of his words to fill the silence. Lawrence Mitchell always has more to say.
"It wasn't him." Lauren corrected while her mom and sister held her close. "I...", she stammered, "I was playing catch with Christian and the ball hit me in the eye."
They all turned to look at her. That was an obvious lie.
"Victims of domestic abuse often lie for their abuser." He sister's cold, thin voice pierced the air. "You need to make him pay, dad. No one does this to my sister and goes around walking in this city like nothing happened."
Lauren tore herself from her mom and sister's embrace and ran to her dad.
"It wasn't him!" She swallowed nervously. "It...it was Charlotte." She admitted reluctantly. "She's the one who punched me."
They all frowned. All three of them.
"The Ericsson girl?" Her dad asked annoyed. "She's ... back?"
Lauren nodded and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"And you said nothing?" Her dad asked with a twinge of anger in his voice.
"I thought I could-" She started to say something, but both her mother and father stopped her.
"Shhhh." They both placed a finger on their lips at the same time.
"It's okay, sweetheart. Say no more." Her dad smirked. "The Ericsson girl has always been ... troublesome and the Greysons have always defended her even when she didn't deserve it. I'll deal with her."
There was a cool breeze running through the night. It was calm and soothing as I stalked Lawrence until I stood right infront of him.
"If you come anywhere near 'the Ericsson girl', I will dismantle your fortune within a week." I smiled at him. "I will make your family homeless, Lawrence because even though you're a Mitchell, I am a Greyson. And we both know what that means."
That smirk on his face was completely gone.
"I paid for Lauren's medical expenses and will continue to do so. The matter ends here, Lawrence." I narrowed my eyes at the man. "I hope I won't have to repeat myself because if I do, your family will pay the price. Am I clear?"
I watched him try to stiffle a scowl that threatened to form on his face. He was pissed.
"Crystal clear." He said through a clenched jaw. "However, I demand an apology from her. I want her to give my daughter a sincere apology. After that", he held his arms up, "I will speak of the matter no more."
I took a step back, turned my back to him and walked back to the car.
"I'm not leaving!" Lauren screamed behind me. "That's my home!"
I ignored her hysteria and drove out of the extravagant mansion. It's late and she's wasting my time.
***
I was exhausted when I got home. Physically, emotionally, mentally...I was just drained. I wanted to take a shower and just go to bed and wrap Charlie in my arms. I wanted to plant kisses all over her naked body and tell her we'll talk about what happened today after we've had a good night of sleep and eaten a heavy breakfast.
However, when I saw mom waiting in the living room and pretending to read a book, I knew that going upstairs to Charlie would have to wait.
"Hey mom." I tried to smile, but I just couldn't fake it after the day I've had.
She chuckled and held out her arms for me. "Come here, honey." She beckoned. "I know you're a grown nan, but you'll never be too old for one of my hugs."
I hugged her, but it wasn't really of much help. I'm too old for her hugs. It's Charlotte's embrace that I need right now.
"Is Lauren okay?" She asked.
"Yea." I answered. "No damaged blood vessels, no broken bones and no major or permanent injury to the eye. She'll be fine."
"Good." She smiled as I sat next to her. "She has such a pretty face. I'd hate to see it being ruined."
I sighed and slumped my head in my hands. I still can't believe that this happened.
"Did you get anything out of Charlotte?" I asked with my head still slumped in my hands. "Did she tell you what the hell happened?"
She ran her fingers through my hair. She used to do this when I was a kid. It always calmed me down back then, but it wasn't doing a thing for me right now.
She shook her head. "I didn't get a peep out of her. You know how she is. She doesn't like talking about things that ... hurt her and I think what happened today, hurt her."
I sighed and c****d my head backwards.
"I'll talk to her about all this tomorrow." I stood from the couch. "I need to get some sleep right now and so does she. I just hope she's not trying to work herself to death right now."
"She's not here." Mom said calmly. "She said she has a work emergency. Hasn't come back since."
I frowned and took out my phone. I tracked her phone's location to her place.
Of course she's at her place. I can't blame her after everything that happened today.
"I need to go." I told mom before heading for the door. "I'll be back tomorrow."
"Wait!" She said without moving. "Come back here, young man."
"Mom!" I tried to complain, but she gave me a stern stare and I walked back to her.
"I think Charlie might be hurting, Forest." She smiled sadly. "And I think that just like what happened five years ago, it's hard for her to talk to you about it."
I sat her down on the couch and rubbed her hand.
"There's A LOT that I shielded you kids from when it comes to Charlie." She said reluctantly. "I didn't tell any of you kids just how much her parents ... hated her, Forest. They hated their daughter like nothing I've ever seen before and it still scares me to think about it."
"Her father comes from a very rich and very powerful family that ensured that he remained above the law while he tortured his daughter, made sure she never got adopted and he would have gotten her placed in the worst foster homes if I hadn't intervened."
"I know she hit Lauren." She pursed her lips. "And I know you are disappointed, but keep in mind that she's also disappointed in herself and..." She sighed. "I'm not trying to make any excuses for her and I hate saying this, but perhaps Lauren Mitchell deserved to get punched in the face."
I chuckled a bit. It was soft, but she heard it and chuckled too.
"I'm starting to suspect that too, mom." I pulled her in for a hug. "I'm starting to suspect that too."
Aksara